Under the Gables Volume XV, Number 4 Spring-Summer 2008
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Under the Gables Volume XV, Number 4 Spring-Summer 2008 Announcing an all-new exhibit: The Point Reyes Peninsula in Pictures A companion exhibit to a new book by Carola DeRooy and Dewey Livingston featuring photographs from the Jack Mason Museum and Point Reyes National Seashore Archives ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: 150 Years of Ranching History Inverness’ Last Telephone Operator Gold Mines and Oil Wells at Point Reyes? Jack Mason Museum of West Marin History Inverness Way at Park Avenue, Inverness Phone 415-669-1099 150 Years of Ranching History This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Shafter family take- JACK MASON over of the Point Reyes Peninsula. In 1858, the courts decided in favor MUSEUM COMMITTEE of Point Reyes claimant Robert McMillan whose attorneys included the brothers Oscar Lovell Shafter and Robert Kroninger, Chair James McMillan Shafter. The pre- Henry Buckingham vious year the Shafters had begun Dian Carpenter planning development of the vast Meg Linden tract, but not until the court deci- Dewey Livingston sion and subsequent transfer from Vivian Mazur McMillan to the Shafter law firm Scotty Mendoza did they begin creating a world- Michael Mery famous “butter rancho” that, 150 years later, remains a significant Maidee Moore national resource. Ann Read The Shafters and Oscar’s Sandy Studdert son-in-law Charles Webb How- ard (who, in his own right, was a ADVISORY COMMITTEE prominent and controversial figure in San Francisco) took full control Sue Baty of the holdings and developed an Mary & Ken Cardwell organized tenant dairy system that James McMillan Shafter later in life Carola DeRooy by 1870 was considered to be pos- with his granddaughters who grew up in David Donlon sibly the greatest dairy ranch in the Olema. He died in 1892. David Elliott country. Labeling the ranches with Linda Mendoza the letters of the alphabet (A Ranch Connie Morse near the lighthouse to Z Ranch near the summit of Mt. Wittenberg) and Kathy Munger selecting hard-working dairymen as operators, the Shafter butter became famous as a top quality product. Kery Rose Many of the historic dairy ranches remain in operation within Point Marcia Strom Reyes National Seashore, and have been declared eligible to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. While the Shafter fam- HONORARY MEMBER ily sold the last of the tenant ranches in 1939, descendants still live in Barbara Mason McClellan the Point Reyes area. The surge in food production in West Marin is a testament to the hard work of the tenants and the great dairy industry spawned on the Point Reyes Peninsula 150 years ago. THE JACK MASON MUSEUM OF WEST MARIN HISTORY IS AN AFFILIATE OF THE INVERNESS FOUNDATION Editor & Layout: Dewey Livingston Co-Editor: Dian Carpenter Editorial Assistant: Michael Mery E Ranch, operated for 40 years by tenant Henry Claussen and now by the Nunes family. 2 Inverness’ last telephone operator: Genelle Williams Matthews BY MICHAEL MERY Genelle had met Walt Matthews, Jr., in high school and they were married in 1951 when HASKELL WILLIAMS , his wife Mettie and daughters Genelle was 20. The Mathews family moved to Genelle and Glenda moved to Inverness in 1947 Inverness in 1946 when Walt, Sr., was transferred at the urging of Haskell’s brother who lived in from Long Island, NY, to the RCA receiving station First Valley. Brother Lonnie thought that the on the Point. (RCA was the largest employer in employment opportunities were much better the area at the time.) Our local service was deeply than in Mercedes, Texas, near Brownsville, so the personal – “Isabelle, would you hold my calls second Williams family moved west in search of and tell people to call back? I’m going to take a a better life. nap for an hour or so and will call you when I’m Glenda was a high school Junior and enrolled awake. Thanks very much.” There were two in Tomales High School along with most of the local high school age kids. Haskell found work very soon after arriving – he became one of the local telephone opera- tors. The switchboard was in a basement room at the Inverness Lodge – what we know, or knew, as Manka’s. At the time, it was owned by the Richardson family who had purchased it a couple of years earlier from Nels Johnson and his wife, the original owners. Mettie, Haskell’s wife, soon went to work on the switchboard with Haskell finding employment with Marin County as a member of the local road mainte- nance crew headed by Frank Giubbini, a First Valley resident where he lived with his wife and daughter Isabelle. By this time, Isabelle was already a telephone operator and first Mettie, then Genelle, became part of our local branch of P (Pacific) T&T. kinds of phone service, private lines (pricey) and This was several years before dial phones made party lines with four homes being serviced by one their appearance when we lost the very personal number. If, for example, your number was 90 and service Mettie, Isabelle and Genelle, including you had a party line, you would have 90W, J, R or various relief operators, provided local residents M. The number of times the phone rang indicated with very personal service. My family’s number who should pick up – 1 ring for 90W, 2 for 90J and was 70, for example. So Genelle went to work so forth. As you might guess, lots of chances to full time in 1948. Isabelle was the head operator listen in unless the parties talking heard the telltale and worked days, Genelle worked swing shift click when the eavesdropper might hear “who just and Mettie worked graveyard, as shift word was picked up? This isn’t your call, so hang up!” called. The relief operators included Lee Richard- An average workday, six days per week, eight son, Mildred Spicer, Dorothy Meloney and Juanita, hours per day, for Genelle was arriving just before Genelle’s aunt. 4 p.m. to take over, taking calls “with a smile,” 3 emphasized by PT&T and even more so when hour. (In 2007 dollars, that translates in purchas- AT&T took over. A volunteer fire department was ing power of $5.25 and $14.26.) Walt and Genelle established in the early 1940s and if there was a were married in 1951 and after Walt returned from fire call, the operator called the lead fireman Kelly the Korean War, they moved to Mill Valley since Giambastiani who had the county truck (long Walt enrolled in S.F. State. Genelle went to work before the fire station in Pt. Reyes Station) and at the Marin Independent Journal answering phones, then the volunteers – Earl Reid, Lloyd Mery, Don taking ads, etc., for a dollar an hour. AT&T was a Ableseth and others who met much better employer. About 1950, the exchange at the firehouse very much then Former Inverness resident George as it is today. Kelly lived right Moorhead recalled in 1978: was moved from The Lodge up the street so the location to a small building behind the was perfect. A few years later, “During the depression the [tele- Guibbini’s house. Isabelle was a siren was installed on Perth phone] company asked its employ- married to Branson Peppers Way and that helped – the op- ees to try and sign up new subscrib- about this time – he came to ers. Most people were interested erators were gone replaced by Inverness in the Army during only if we could give them 24 hour dial phones. service, which could not be done WWII – and the senior Guib- The operators also had conveniently at the [Inverness] store, binis helped them build a the responsibility of deliver- where the switchboard was. So the house next door when Isabelle ing telegrams. The head of- board was moved to Nels Johnson’s and Peppers lived for close to fice would call in the name Inverness Lodge. 60 years. They are both gone “At first Nels slept on a cot by the of the recipient and the text, now, but many remember switchboard to take care of night the operator would transcribe calls of which there were few. Later, them well. the telegram then deliver it to operators were hired to help out.” Genelle’s last work with the recipient. (I wonder how AT&T was in the transisiton many people tipped!) Genelle from our local phones to dial told me that the hardest part phones when our number, for of her job, one that fell to the instance, changed from 70 to swing shift operator, was to Normandy 9-1171. Pt. Reyes call someone who hadn’t paid Numbers because Mohawk their bill that there service was 3-1171 or what ever the num- being interrupted. The reason ber might’ve been. Modernity for this being the swing shift had arrived, faster, more ef- responsibility was that the ficient, perhaps cheaper. Not PT&T/AT&T office closed at better, however. 5PM and if the bill wasn’t paid Genelle and Walt are long on the last possible day, the retired and live in Brookings, operator would get a call. “Go Oregon, less than a block tell so and so that because of from the ocean. They have the unpaid bill, they no longer PO Box address just as Walt had service.” Swing shift starts and Genelle did as kids in In- at 4PM so the day operator was verness. According to Genelle, “off the hook.” it’s nearly as quiet there and it During these early years, both Genelle and was here 60 years ago.